Playing Along
by arygon199
Summary: Sometimes the safe choice isn't always the right choice. Puck/Quinn


**A/N: This is my first Glee fic, so I hope you all enjoy. I'm loving the idea of Puck and Quinn and I just had to write them. I was inspired by the new Puck/Quinn sneak peaks of 1x09, which increased my love for them tenfold. Seriously, not only is the chemistry great, they just seem perfect for each other. There are a couple of references to the sneak peak in here, but I wouldn't say it spoils it. Anyway, enjoy the story and please leave a review if you can! Right now this story is a one shot, but if you guys like it enough, I have plenty ideas to continue it...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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Puck had never in his life been what one might call an emotional person. But he was also your typical seventeen year old guy, so he found that expressing his feelings in any way but a) throwing a slushie in someone's face (and by someone he meant Rachel Berry) or b) wild, hot Noah Puckerman sex was just pointless. At least that was what he'd thought up until a few months ago.

But things had changed. Situations had changed. Friendships had changed. Most of all, _he _had changed. He was going to be a father. It was time to grow up. And he was. Because he was _not _going to be like his father. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Quinn would see that too. In fact, he was starting to think that she was already starting to, which was hell of a lot better than nothing. He needed her to trust that he was going to be there for her, that he could be a father to their child. Most of all, no matter how much he hated to admit it, he wanted her to realize that it wasn't Finn she needed, it was him. Him and only him.

That was why he found himself sneaking through her window at eleven o'clock at night, allowing himself to do what he rarely did - actually _express _how he felt. Because, honestly, he was tired of playing along with the lies Quinn kept spinning, and he needed Quinn to know this, because maybe she was feeling the same way too.

It was a bit ironic at how easy it was to climb up onto the Fabray's garage (their garbage cans were located conveniently right next to it and Quinn's room was just above it). You'd have thought that her Bible-loving parents would have done anything possible to keep their daughter from escaping without them noticing or, in this case, letting someone else in. It was probably because they trusted her. She'd never given them a reason not to. Until now. But they didn't know that yet, and when they did, Puck suspected Quinn's room wouldn't be hers any longer, so they really wouldn't have to worry about he easy it was to get in and out of it.

The window was unlocked, so he slid it right open. Peeking his head inside, he scanned the dark room slowly until his gaze fell on the bed in the corner. She was laying on her side facing him, her eyes closed as if she were asleep. But he knew her well enough to know she wasn't sleeping, which was why he decided to break the silence.

"Quinn," he whispered. He had slipped through the window and was now creeping as silently as he could towards her bed.

Her eyes popped open as she let out a surprised gasp. She sat up against the headboard, holding the blanket over her body like she was protecting herself, and only after a few seconds did she seem to realize it was him. And she didn't seem happy to see him.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her dangerous glare piercing him like a dagger.

He sent her an amused grin. "We need to talk."

"_Now_?"

"Why not?" he said, shrugging. "It's not like we get much of a chance to at school, what with you constantly ignoring me and all."

Her frown deepened, but now she actually looked remorseful, which didn't surprise Puck much. Quinn Fabray had a good heart. Anyone who knew her remotely well could tell you that. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I don't mean to ignore you. It's just that being around you..."

"Makes you feel guilty?" he finished for her. She just nodded, and he went on, "I get that, I really do. I screwed my best friend over, Quinn. I feel guilty too. But did you ever think that the guilt might go away, or at least lessen, if we told him?"

The look on her face went from remorse to terror. "No. We can't tell Finn. He'll be heartbroken."

Puck rolled his eyes. Finn would certainly not be heartbroken. He was a good guy, but he no saint - after the initial rage of finding out his girlfriend had lied to him died down, he would be more than relieved to find out this child was not his. "He won't be heartbroken," Puck said, taking a seat on the edge of Quinn's bed, "and you and I both know that. You're just hiding behind that excuse because you know telling him would mean you losing him, and you can't have that because he's your safety net. He's the easy way out of this. You know it, I know it, hell, Finn probably even knows it. But that's no excuse to stay with him."

Quinn remained silent, her eyes unfocused as she stared past him and out the open window. He could tell she was debating his words, trying to figure out if she could find another excuse to throw at him. But she wouldn't be able to because he was right, and deep down, she knew that.

"Quinn." He spoke her name forcefully to gain her attention. It worked. She looked back at him intently, and he reached over and strung his fingers through hers. She looked down at their intertwined hands with narrowed eyes, but did not pull back. He took a deep breath. "You don't love Finn. You might have once, I don't know...but I do know you don't love him now. You wouldn't make him go through this if you did. You just love the safety he brings you. But the safe choice isn't always the right choice." He sounded like a sap, but it had to be said. She needed to understand that she was making the wrong decision, and it was unfair not just to Finn and himself, but to her as well.

Once again, she did not respond. But she did not look away either, and he took this as a good sign. Maybe he was actually getting through to her. After a few very long moments, she spoke. "I know what I'm doing is wrong, but you don't understand what I'm going through, Puck. Everyday people at school talk about me. They point at me when I'm walking through the hallways, they whisper about what a slut I am conveniently loud enough for me to hear. They laugh and they make fun of me. But I deal with it because I know that eventually they'll get bored with me and the talking and the gossiping will stop. But if I tell Finn, then we're just fueling the fire. The talking will never stop and I'll be labeled not just a whore, but a cheating whore who was stupid enough to get knocked up by my boyfriend's best friend, and I'll never have any hope of regaining my reputation back." Her face was scrunched up in pain now, as if she could not even imagine the turmoil this would bring, and he intinctively squeezed her hand, hoping to give her some reassurance. "I can't go through that," she continued. A tiny sob escaped her throat. "I can't."

She was crying now. For a couple of seconds, he didn't know what to do. He'd never really dealed with a crying girl before, unless you counted his mother, and that was a completely different story. But instinct took over and his arms wrapped around her like it was second nature. She dug her head into the crook of his neck, her hands resting on his chest, and he could tell, like the tough girl she was, she was trying to hold back the tears. He ran his hand up and down her back, unsure of what to say.

He got what she had said. He understood that telling Finn the truth meant a whole new whirlwind of drama. But in his eyes it was something that was going to happen eventually. Quinn had told him the other day that she would go to her grave swearing that the baby was Finn's, but he knew she really wouldn't. Sooner or later, she was going to cave. Or he would, although he would try his best to wait for the go ahead from her. Either way, though, the truth _was _going to come out.

"I'm gonna be here for you," he finally said, because this was what she needed to hear. "No matter what, you will not go through this alone. Just know that."

Her sobs quieted. She pulled away from him and her watery eyes met his dry ones. She did not say anything. She didn't need to; it was clear that she understood, that she trusted him even. And that was good enough for now.

Then she moved her head to his chest, and he resumed running his hands along her back (which felt amazing, although in a moment like this it was better if he tried to ignore the urges this girl gave him). They stayed like this for awhile. He had said his fill and she had listened. Now it was time for her to simply digest his words. He did have one more thing to do, though.

Digging his hands through his back pocket, he searched for the money he'd brought. She'd refused his money two times already, but she would not refuse it now. So when he held it out to her, she did not look surprised, nor did she look angry. She just took it, like he knew she would.

"One hundred and eighteen dollars...that's a hundred more than you offered me yesterday."

He nodded. "I cleaned Mike's grandma's pool today. She tips _very_ well." Quinn raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowing, and he caught onto the suggestion behind his words. He quickly defended himself. "Not because of _that,_" he said, eyebrows crinkling in disgust. "I mean I'm sure his grandma looked great back in the 1800s, but she's ancient now. I do moms, not grandmas. Or I _did_. I've been staying away from the cougars lately. I was only using them to distract myself from...this whole baby drama."

He meant to say that he was distracting himself from _her _and the feelings she gave him - feelings he was still trying to graple with because sometimes, especially times like now, he thought he might love her- but somehow he was wasn't sure that would go over well.

"I'm glad you're not doing that anymore." There was a hint of a smile on Quinn's face. "I didn't approve."

"Of course you didn't," he said with a smirk. "You don't approve of sex, period. Unless it's in marriage, which I've heard just makes it boring."

She threw him a playful glare, rolling her eyes, before chuckling quietly. She looked down at the money she still held in her hand. "Thank you," she said, her gaze meeting his again.

He nodded slowly. "Thank you for taking it."

"You want to help our child," she said understandingly. "I won't stop you from doing that anymore." Her hand moved to settle on her stomach. It was the first time he had seen her really acknowledge that there was a baby in there. It was also the first time she had referred to the baby as _their _child. He moved his hand to rest on her belly. She didn't push it away. And it was for all these reasons that the biggest smile broke out onto his face. He was such a wus, but he couldn't help it. This was a huge step for them.

"I don't just want to take care of our baby," he said. "I want take care of _you_. I know people see me as...well, a manwhore...but sleeping around doesn't really make me happy. It never will. _You _make me happy."

A silence fell between them. Her smile softened at his words. He was a little surprised when her hand moved up an inch to cover his. Her eyes met his, her gaze intense. Her eyes were watery again and he wondered if she was going to start another sobfest. But instead she smiled - a wide, sincere and happy smile - and his own smile deepened at the sight of it.

"You really are an amazing guy, Noah," she murmured. "I think I've always known that."

He didn't say anything. He'd never been great with compliments, so he took it with a slight nod. She raised her free hand to his face and cupped his cheek. For a moment he thought she was going to kiss him, but then he remembered that she would not cheat on her boyfriend again, regardless of the fact that it was _his_ child she was carrying, not Finn's. And he was okay with that. He just hoped that someday soon Quinn would tell Finn the truth. Because Puck wanted more than anything to be able to kiss her again, to call her his girlfriend, which was a scary thought in itself because he'd never really been a girlfriend kind of guy. Sure, he'd dated Santana for a couple of months, and a couple of other girls as well, but it hadn't been much fun. The idea of being Quinn's boyfriend, though, didn't just sound fun, it sounded right.

A creaking from outside Quinn's room pulled them from their little moment. She looked nervously at her door before nodding towards the still open window. He hadn't noticed until now how cold it was in here. "You should probably go," she whispered. "My parents will kill me if they find a boy in here. But not before they kill you."

He just nodded, knowing she was right. But he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay here with her. He never wanted to leave, sappy as it sounded. The effect she had on him was crazy. Still, he knew it it was time to go. So he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head before standing up and heading to the window. After he climbed through it, he turned back to look at her once more. Her eyes were locked on him, as his were on her. In this moment, he was so very tempted to say those three little words - those words that so many girls would die to hear their boyfriend say - but he didn't, because it wasn't time. He wasn't even sure if he loved her, although deep down he knew he did. It wasn't just the fondness he'd always had for her that kept him fighting for her. It was so much more than that. But she wasn't ready to hear it, and he probably wasn't ready for it either, so he kept his mouth shut, sending her a soft smile, before turning around and leaving her behind once more.

Someday he would tell her he loved her. Someday they would be a family, and he would love her like a father was supposed to love his child's mother. But for now, until she was ready to face the truth, he would keep playing along with what the rest of the school thought to be true - that Quinn Fabray was pregnant with Finn Hudson's baby. Someday, though, they would all know the truth. He just hoped it would be soon.


End file.
